Hi all,

looking for some input to my current problem. I have about a 100' well with 1/2 hp submersible (Meyers) pump and Wellxtroll 202 pressure tank. System is about 20 yrs old. Never had any issues with the system or the well except high iron levels. About 6 months ago I started noticing that when filling containers from the faucet the water looked gray but upon standing for a minute would clear. I suspected that it was dissolved air. It continued to get worse until we were actually having air spit out of fixtures after they were closed for several hours. About 2 months ago, I closed the system off from the house and turned off the power to the well pump after filling the tank (to 60psi) and left it for a couple of hours after marking the pressure. I saw no change. I then drained the tank completely and checked the bladder pressure.It was low about 15 psi. I charged the tank with air to 38 psi and reopened the system to the house and turned on the pump. It seemed normal for a couple of weeks but then began to have the same air in the system symptoms described above. 2 months after this started again I checked the bladder pressure again with the tank empty and found no change in the bladder pressure. Looking for some advice now. Thanks for any going forward.

 

going through a similar situation. Well is too shallow and not able to keep up with demand, can hear cavitation in the basement and air is being sucked into the line which causes sputtering when a faucet is turned on. Will be getting a new well installed soon.

 

Another possibility is a leak in the piping from your pressure tank to your pump. If you have a check valve at your pressure tank inlet, a small leak at a pipe connection or the pitless adapter can allow water to leak out and air to leak in. The next time your pump starts up, this air is carried into the pressure tank. I had this problem once and finally found the problem at the pitless adapter. When the pump was not running, if I listened at the top of the casing I could hear water leaking and dripping down into the well. Good luck, Steve

 

If this ws the case would I not see a pressure drop at the tank? Thanks for the input

 

You're correct, if you had a leak in the piping, you would see the pressure drop when the system is sitting with no water being drawn. This is true as long as you don't have a check valve at the water pump, as the entire line is then pressurized (foot valve keeps pressure from dissipating). However, if you have a check valve installed in the water line near the pump, it will prevent the water line (check valve to well) from being pressurized.

For the past couple of years, my shallow well pump has been sucking a little air, particularly if I draw a large amount of water. I have a check valve in my line (right at pump), so I was suspicious that I might have a leak in the line. I had a plumber come in and he pressurized the line using a small air compressor. In ~30 min, the pressure didn't drop at all, so that ruled out a leak. We then measured the water level in the well casing. The foot valve was approximately 8 feet below the water level, so the well wasn't dry. We concluded that the replenishment rate was lower than it used to be, so if large amounts of water were drawn, the well started to run dry until it could refill. I'm probably not going to do anything about it, as we don't draw large amounts of water very often.

 

If I'm reading this correctly the OP isolated the house and checked the well and pressure tank with no loss of pressure meaning no leak!

 

Marq1, it depends on where Montrose measured the pressure. If he used a guage that is after a check valve then even a well line with a leak will not show a reduction in pressure when the system is not in use. Since a check valve also incorporates a "finger on the end of a straw" method of keeping water from moving, even a leak on the other side of the check valve, between the pump and valve, will probably not see much water leaking out when not in use. When the pump kicks on, however, air can get sucked into the flowing water from a small leak that is open to the air. For example the pitless adapter or any part of the line above the water level in the well.

 

thanks for the discussion folks. My gauge is after the check valve, so if i'm understanding correctly, the check valve isolates my water system (in the house with gauge indicating pressure from the check valve thru the tank and interior water system) from the plumbing to the submersible pump, which could have a leak and not show up on the "isolated" pressure gauge.

 

There could be a foot valve in the pump and the check valve at the pressure tank, if there is a leak in the line between the two check valves the pressure will go to 0 and there will most likely be a water hammer when the pump comes on.
Another idea is that the air in pressure tank is getting into the water, bladder is bad and the tank needs to be replaced.
It is simple of going over a check list of items that can go bad.
Not all lasts for 100 years.

 

Can't be Bladder I checked pressure with empty tank and bladder pressure has not changed since last check 2 mos. ago. Water hammer is what I might be hearing when I say lots of gurgling when tank is filling. This is a noise that was not present when system was properly operating.I also can't believe the well is running dry as we have had, during this issue, very extended periods of continued water usage. If air was due to low well level you would think that eventually we would notice a period of "No water". The more I think of it, a bad foot valve is likely the culprit especially in a 20 yr. old pump

Thanks agin for input.

Thanks for the input Ak.